Stir sugar, syrup, and water in 3 quart saucepan. Heat until it boils, blend in butter. Stir frequently. Add nuts at 271º in Utah or 280º sea level. Stir constantly to hard crack stage - 294º in UT or 305º sea level. Remove from heat. Quickly stir in soda, mixing well. Pour onto 2 cookie sheets. Stretch thin by lifting and pulling from edges with forks or wooden spoons. After it hardens, pry off cookie sheet and break into pieces. Makes about 2.5 pounds. If you eat it all, you will gain way more than 2.5 pounds. Don't understand the science behind that, but it happens.

Hint: A couple of years ago I invested in a digital oven roasting thermometer that has a probe that tracks the internal temperature of a roast on an external monitor. I discovered last year that the gadget works quite well for candy-making. You set the desired temperature and the monitor beeps when that level is reached. You can use a wooden closepin to attach the probe to the side of the pan keeping the tip just above the bottom.

Why They're Here

One day it occurred to me that creating a blog with many of the old and some of the new family recipes I've prepared over nearly 60 years would be a way to preserve them for my daughters and grandchildren.

On Sept. 19, 2008 "Diane's Family Recipes" was born. I hope you enjoy the site. Thanks for visiting.

Diane

PS: LOW-CARB MAKEOVER

In May 2010, my family became low-carbers. I'm in the process of converting my old family recipes, so some that you find on this site will still be carb-loaded. (I'll keep both recipes online.) The most recent are the low-carb-friendly versions. Thanks for your patience while I tweak as many as I can. Diane